What does חָלַם (ḥālam) mean in the Bible?
חָלַם (ḥālam): Dreams arise from a state of plumpness or fullness, metaphorically representing unconscious vision or altered mental states.
Hebrew · H2492
חָלַם
Properly, to bind firmly , i.e. (by implication) to be (causatively to make ) plump ; also (through the figurative sense of dumbness) to dream
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חָלַם H2492
Pronunciation ḥālam
What does חָלַם (ḥālam) mean in the Bible?
חָלַם (ḥālam): Dreams arise from a state of plumpness or fullness, metaphorically representing unconscious vision or altered mental states.
Full entry for חָלַם (H2492) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H2492?
The BSB source-word alignment has 29 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (7), dreamer (3), had a dream (3), dream (2), dreams (2).
Where does חָלַם (ḥālam) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 28:12. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (14), Deuteronomy (3), Isaiah (3), Jeremiah (3).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It . . . 7× Genesis 37:10, Genesis 40:8, Genesis 41:11, Genesis 41:15
dreamer 3× Deuteronomy 13:1, Deuteronomy 13:3, Deuteronomy 13:5
had a dream 3× Genesis 37:5, Genesis 40:5, Genesis 41:1
dream 2× Genesis 37:9
dreams 2× Isaiah 29:8
had dreams 2× Genesis 41:11, Daniel 2:1
I had a dream 2× Jeremiah 23:25
- 1× Genesis 42:9
And [Jacob] had a dream 1× Genesis 28:12
and dreamed 1× Genesis 41:5
dream I had 1× Genesis 37:6
like dreamers 1× Psalms 126:1
men will dream dreams 1× Joel 2:28
thrive 1× Job 39:4
You have restored me to health 1× Isaiah 38:16
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 28:12 וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֗ם to And [Jacob] had a dream Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 37:5 וַיַּחֲלֹ֤ם to had a dream Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 37:6 חָלָֽמְתִּי׃ to dream I had Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular Genesis 37:9 וַיַּחֲלֹ֥ם to dream Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Genesis 37:9 חָלַ֤מְתִּֽי to dream Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular Genesis 37:10 חָלָ֑מְתָּ to . . . Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular Genesis 40:5 וַיַּֽחַלְמוּ֩ to had a dream Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Genesis 40:8 חָלַ֔מְנוּ to . . . Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural Genesis 41:1 חֹלֵ֔ם to had a dream Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Genesis 41:5 וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֖ם to and dreamed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 28:12
Aligned rows 29
Books represented 9
Genesis 14 Deuteronomy 3 Judges 1 Job 1 Psalms 1 Isaiah 3 Jeremiah 3 Daniel 2 Joel 1
Source forms
חָלָֽמְתִּי׃ 2x ḥā·lā·mə·tî Genesis 37:6, Jeremiah 23:25
וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֗ם 1x way·ya·ḥă·lōm Genesis 28:12
וַיַּחֲלֹ֤ם 1x way·ya·ḥă·lōm Genesis 37:5
וַיַּחֲלֹ֥ם 1x way·ya·ḥă·lōm Genesis 37:9
וַֽיַּחֲלֹ֖ם 1x way·ya·ḥă·lōm Genesis 41:5
וַיַּֽחַלְמוּ֩ 1x way·ya·ḥal·mū Genesis 40:5
וַנַּֽחַלְמָ֥ה 1x wan·na·ḥal·māh Genesis 41:11
וְתַחֲלִימֵ֖נִי 1x wə·ṯa·ḥă·lî·mê·nî Isaiah 38:16
Parsing patterns
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular 7x Genesis 37:6, Genesis 37:9, Genesis 41:15, Judges 7:13
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 4x Genesis 28:12, Genesis 37:5, Genesis 37:9, Genesis 41:5
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular construct 3x Deuteronomy 13:1, Deuteronomy 13:3, Deuteronomy 13:5
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 2x Isaiah 29:8
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common plural 2x Genesis 40:8, Genesis 41:11
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular 2x Genesis 42:9, Daniel 2:1
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect - second person masculine singular | first person common singular 1x Isaiah 38:16
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common plural | third person feminine singular 1x Genesis 41:11
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Dreams arise from a state of plumpness or fullness, metaphorically representing unconscious vision or altered mental states.
Source Gloss
properly, to bind firmly , i.e. (by implication) to be (causatively to make ) plump ; also (through the figurative sense of dumbness) to dream
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Dreams arise from a state of plumpness or fullness, metaphorically representing unconscious vision or altered mental states.
properly, to bind firmly, i.e. (by implication) to be (causatively to make) plump; also (through the figurative sense of dumbness) to dream BDB: be healthy Usage: (cause to) dream(-er), be in good liking, recover.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 2 Aligned forms 20
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 19×
Perfect Dan 2:3 · Gen 37:6 · Gen 37:9 · Gen 41:15 · Jer 23:25 · Judg 7:13 · Dan 2:1 · Gen 42:9 · Gen 40:8 · Gen 41:11 · Gen 37:10 12×
Participle active Deut 13:2 · Deut 13:4 · Deut 13:6 · Gen 41:1 4×
Imperfect Isa 29:8 · Job 39:4 3×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 1×
Participle active Jer 29:8 1×
Word Origins
חָלַם is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain